On a recent Saturday, I walked into the Brass Door Irish Pub just behind a father-son duo sporting matching Arsenal Football Club uniforms, right down to the red and white socks. It was 9 a.m. on the morning of Arsenal's season opener in the Premier League against the Wolverhampton Wanderers. The Arsenal flag was flying and Seamus Loftus, one of the pub owners, was greeting patrons at the door by name. Inside, the bartender asked each customer for their drink of choice, in a lilting Irish accent. The customers were nearly all dressed in a variety of Arsenal gear, including a group of young men seated on bar stools right in front of the TV. Arsenal scored and the entire bar “high-fived” and sang a lively chant in unison, including travelers from Australia and London who had been searching for a place to watch the game. During a commercial break, one patron stood on a table to thank Seamus for his hospitality, predict a glorious season and invite everyone outside for a group photo.
What started as a libation-infused discussion among four friends about owning a bar has turned into a magical community of international sports enthusiasts and the 8th ranked best Irish pub according to USA TODAY. Seamus says, “Our concept from the beginning has been to create a house for the people, where everyone feels safe and loved and we have not wavered from these standards.” The other major owners are Scott Crosby, Meg Crosby and Shawna Engel. They describe the pub as a family friendly outpost, a third place for their patrons to congregate, after their homes and offices. Shawna, considered the pub matriarch, stopped to hug nearly everyone in the place as we headed to our table to watch the game and cheer. Scott describes the bar as a “hidden gem that started with romance, as all good relationships do, and turned to good, hard work.” Meg adds, “We will turn on any international game at nearly any hour, including a Formula 1 race where we opened the bar at 6 a.m. for some customers and brought donuts.”
Answering my question about how much experience they had in the industry before opening the bar, Seamus says, “Nearly none, besides doing a lot of drinking in pubs.” Meg jokes, “As a fairly intelligent foursome, we mused, ‘How difficult can it be to run a pub?' Turns out it can be hard.’” Scott clarifies, “All kidding aside, the reason for our success is Seamus’ hands-on management. You can’t be an absentee owner and expect things to go well.” Seamus counters, “I’m not a particularly good manager, but I am a heck of a good coach. The staff respond well to that and basically do what is asked the first time.”
Scott seconds that they have an incredible staff, most of whom are former European football players. “If you are feeling short of kindness or joy, hang out with Tony Posner, who played right midfield for Manchester United back in the day, and you will feel replenished. He’s basically everyone’s dad.” The wait and bar staff that day hailed from Ireland, Sicily and Norway. Father and son duo, Fidel and Ricardo Perez, were manning the kitchen.
Meg adds, “The food is actually surprisingly good; kind of an elevated bar food menu with an Irish twist.” The crowd favorites are fish and chips, the Irish breakfast, which includes black and white pudding, banger and rashers, and Meg’s personal favorite, the Irish nachos with caramelized onions, corn beef and beer cheese. I tasted the French fries with homemade curry sauce and indulged in a Carlsberg on tap to match the vibe.
The décor, which includes wooden barrels with seals representing the four Irish provinces, makes it easy to imagine that you could be sitting in a bar in Ireland. Meg says, “Gwen Driscoll and Ann Prince did a great job of creating an authentic and beautiful aesthetic." Carissa Hussong from the Metal Museum was instrumental in crafting the decorative ironwork, including the large brass door and some creative air conditioning vents that blend right into the design work.
The basement is called the Cavern, named for the Liverpool establishment where the Beatles rose to fame. Pete Best, original drummer for the Beatles, inaugurated the Memphis Cavern in 2010 by playing at the pub, as evidenced by a photo behind the bar with Pete, Meg, Scott and Seamus. In addition, they have hosted weddings, corporate meetings and other large parties in the pub. For big events, they rent out the whole space and can even close the alley to add an additional bar. Live music is played most Thursdays in the Cavern which resembles a jazz bar.
Meg recalls with a laugh a recent conversation with Scott about this big adventure. Scott apparently said, “If we’d known then what we know now, we never would have opened an Irish pub. And that would have been a big mistake.” Meg concurs, “Whatever our original vision was for the Brass Door, we are thrilled about where we are today.”